Download FREE Trebuchet Plans

We offer a FREE set of plans that contain instructions for building a small-scale hinged counter weight (HCW) Trebuchet suitable for hurling everything from tennis balls to bowling balls.

This set of plans is one of the easiest on the internet. It is a design that has been built by many students as well as hobbyists with positive results.

I won’t say how far this design will throw anything. Too much depends on how you build yours, what your throwing, sling design, exact CW mass, etc.

This FREE set of plans in PDF downloadable format includes:

Materials List

Tools Needed

Detailed Measurements

Assembly Procedure

Get your FREE Trebuchet Plans

Enter your name and email address to receive a free set of trebuchet plans. We will email the free trebuchet plans to you.

First name *

Email *

How the Trebuchet Works

The trebuchet was a siege weapon, which was used in the medieval ages. It is an engineering marvel that uses the force of gravity and centrifugal forces to operate and requires no additional fuel substitutes to help in its launching process. In simple terms, a trebuchet is a device mostly made from wood and metal. The trebuchets use weight, gravity and the lever and deliver an impressive throwing power. It converts the potential energy of the weight to kinetic energy from the lever to the sling of the trebuchet, which help in launching the object to great distances. The trebuchets were invented in china in the early 4th century and then came to Europe in the 6th century. The trebuchet was an effective tool that helped the armies a great deal. It lasted in the battlefields of Europe for nearly 10 centuries. The trebuchet’s objective is similar to that of a catapult. A catapult is a device, which help in throwing a projectile without the uses of any additional aid of an explosive. The trebuchets like the catapult help in shooting projectiles, but they tend to achieve greater height, power and distances when compared to the catapult. The additional distance is achieved using the sling at the end of the arm.

The trebuchet uses the force of gravity acting on the weight and this creates a centrifugal force, which creates enough throwing action. The sling at the end of the lever, amplifies the centrifugal force acting on the projectiles, which results in greater distance. The advantage of the trebuchet in the medieval ages was more than the catapult when it came to launching bigger projectiles. One could launch stones and fireballs through the trebuchet, which cannot be achieved by using a catapult. Catapults function using built up tension to release the projectile whereas the trebuchet use gravity. The trebuchet, also known as the ‘Big Bertha’ has now become popular in the backyard of many people. People build it and use it for fun as it is now popularly considered as the toy for big kids. Many people buy a premade trebuchet for entertainment purposes but it is even more fun when you build one. If you do have a trebuchet building plans, then there are many sources where you can access a trebuchet blueprint. Building a trebuchet is not a difficult task and there are many types of trebuchet ranging from the authentic traditional ones to the counterweight trebuchet, which are relatively easier to build. You may choose the appropriate trebuchet plans and build one easily. There are few thing s you will have to take into consideration before you begin to build a trebuchet. You will have to decide on a suitable size. The bigger the size of the trebuchet, the longer you can launch your objects. You can also avail premade trebuchet kits and parts to make your building experience easier. If you are building one for the first time, then the use of the kits would be ideal. Once you are done building the structure of the trebuchet, you will have to construct the sling and an appropriate counterweight. A sling can be made from any old cloth and then attached to the two ends of the string.

The counterweight can be anything that is heavy enough to help in increasing the centrifuge force. It can be anything simple like a box full of rocks or any heavy metal. Once you have completed with these basics sorted out, you will have to attach the trigger mechanism and the release pin of the trebuchet. The release pin is one of the most trickiest and complicated part in building a trebuchet. It should be angled appropriately to ensure that the sling releases The projectiles at an angle somewhere close to 45 degrees to achieve maximum distance. Constructing a small trebuchet can for a science project will definitely help you score additional points from your physics professor. It is also a lot of fun to play with. One can make teams and play with it. Building a trebuchet can be a great deal of fun and also a nice learning experience. Building one for the science fair will surely fetch you good scores from your physics professor.

The History of the Trebuchet

The trebuchet is a medieval siege weapon, which was used to launch huge boulders and fireball during battles. It is brilliant device that uses the laws of gravity to function. The trebuchet is capable of launching projectiles at great distances without any additional uses of explosive devices or fuel. The trebuchet is similar to a catapult. Its objective is to launch projectiles like the catapult, but the two separate devices use completely different methods in launching projectiles. The catapult launches the objects through the help of built up tension of the string. The trebuchet uses gravity and controlled weight. The trebuchet is much more effective than the catapult, as it can launch projectiles to greater distances with greater power than the catapult. The projectiles launched in the trebuchet are much bigger and causes more impact than the catapult. A catapult consists of only a string to create the tension, whereas the trebuchet uses a counterweight to create an efficient centrifugal force and the sling attached to the lever of the trebuchet help in hurling the projectile to greater distances. Today many build the trebuchet, which is also known as the ‘Big Bertha’, is built for fun or educational purposes.

The trebuchet has come from the battlefield to the backyards of many people. The trebuchet today, is the toy for big kids. You can find the trebuchet being built by college students and retirees throughout the world. Trebuchets can be surprisingly fun to play with. Many prefer buying a premade trebuchet, but is much more fun when you build one. A trebuchet is easy to build and does not require any complicated material. One can build a trebuchet from wood. Building a trebuchet can be a great learning experience for many. It uses the laws of physics and one must know a few things about the rules that govern the functioning of the trebuchet. In simple terms, the trebuchet is a lever that uses a weight and the forces of gravity on that weight. The lever helps in transferring the displaced energy to hurl the projectile to a great distance. The potential energy in the controlled weight is converted to kinetic energy from the lever to the sling attached to it, which in the end, hurls the objects. The centrifugal force plays a key role in functioning of the trebuchet. The centrifugal force acts like a throwing force which launches the projectile into the air. Building a trebuchet is easy today and one can get many trebuchet blueprints through various sources. There are many different types of trebuchet designs ranging from the ancient traditional designs to the modern day design. The most popular design is the counter weight design as it is more effective in throwing the projectiles to greater distances. There are many trebuchet plans in the internet that you can refer and decide on the appropriate design suitable for you trebuchet-building plans. One must consider a few things before building a trebuchet. Once you have decided on the particular plan, decide on the suitable size that you would like to create.

A small trebuchet would require around 1”x2” pine for all pieces. Once the structuring of the device is complete, you will have to work on the sling. The sling can be made out of any small clothing that you can find around. The sling should be measured and cut accordingly and then tied to both the ends of the length of the string connected to the lever. The next step would require a suitable counterweight for the lever. You will have to use something heavy like a box of rocks or metal. Once you have completed these basic things, you will have to concentrate on the trigger and the release pin. The release pin is one of the most trickiest and complicated part in constructing the trebuchet. The angle of the angle should be correct to ensure that the sling launches the objects at an angle close to 45 degrees. Ensuring the right angle will help in achieving maximum distance. It can be a great learning experience and can be lots of fun. If you are building a trebuchet for a science project, then you will surely receive a good score from your physics professor.

Trebuchet vs Catapult

The trebuchet originated in the medieval ages in china in the early 4th century B.C and then came to Europe in the 6th century AD. The trebuchet lasted in the battlefields of Europe for almost 10 centuries. It was used as siege weapon in the battlefield. It was an effective weapon because it could hurl huge boulders of rock or fireballs at the enemy at great distances and causing maximum damage. The trebuchet involved a lot of mathematical calculations ad effort to build. Huge trebuchet hurling massive projectiles at the enemy ensured victory for the armies using it. The early trebuchets were made mainly out of wood. One can say that the trebuchet is like a catapult. It indeed is except that the catapult and the trebuchet work on two different natural forces. The catapults were extremely efficient and effective devices of war. They had a reach of about 500 yards and were extremely accurate, especially at a close range. However, they could only launch arrows and were incapable of launching bigger objects at the enemy at a farther distance. The catapult launches projectiles with the help of the built up tension in the strings, on the hand, the trebuchet hurls projectile using gravity, counter weight and centrifugal forces. The trebuchet is essentially a simple lever with a heavy counterweight on one end of the pivoting lever. The trebuchet uses the natural forces of gravity acting on the heavy counterweight to creating a terrific throwing power. The centrifugal forces play a key role in the launching of the projectiles.

The sling in the other end of the lever enhances the centrifugal force acting on the projectile, thus obtaining greater distance. The sling pulls the harness containing the projectile skywards, creating an arc path, which launches the projectile skywards. The use of the natural forces helped in creating a awesome force of launching materials without any help of an additional fuel or explosives. This engineering marvel is still found today. It has come from the battlefields to the backyards of many people. The trebuchet today, is a source of fun for many. It is a great learning experience and one can build it for fun. Building a trebuchet is not a complicated process and you do not need any special materials to construct a trebuchet. There are many different designs of trebuchets. Each of them have their own advantages and drawbacks. The most effective trebuchet would be the one that consists of the long pivoting lever with the help of the heavy counterweight swinging down from a high end sending the projectiles skywards. If you have any trebuchet building plans, then there are many trebuchet blueprints available in the internet. One can refer the numerous trebuchet plans and select the appropriate design to suit our needs. the first thing one should do after selecting the appropriate trebuchet plan, is deciding on the size of the trebuchet you would like to construct. If you want to launch bigger projectiles to greater distances, then the size of the trebuchet will have to be bigger.

The bigger the trebuchet, the farther you can hurl the projectiles. Another thing you will have to consider is if you would like to use any premade trebuchet kits or designs that will make your job easier. Using the premade kits would be an excellent option for beginners. A trebuchet can be constructed from simple materials like wood. The suitable measurement for constructing a small trebuchet would be around 1”x2” pine for all the pieces used for construction. A bigger model, about 10ft would require something more 2”x4” of measurement. After sorting out the measurement, you will need to fix the sling. A sling can be made from any cloth. The cloth needs to be attached to both ends to the length of the string. Finding a suitable counterweight is also not difficult. Anything heavy to create enough centrifugal force would do the job. A box of rocks or metal should be fine. Once you have completed these tasks, the trigger and mechanism will require some attention. The release pin is one of the most complicated part of building a trebuchet. The release pin must be angled in an appropriate manner to ensure the sling releases in an angle close to 45 degrees. Attaining the correct angle will help in achieving greater precision and distance.